Car Accident Claim Payouts: Examples And How They’re Calculated

If you have been harmed in a road traffic accident caused by the negligence of another road user, you may be wondering about the car accident claim payouts that can be awarded. You could make a personal injury claim for compensation in these circumstances.  

In this guide, we’ll discuss car accident compensation payouts as well as claims for whiplash payouts. We’ll also answer commonly asked questions on road traffic accident claims, such as:

  • What is the average payout for car accidents?
  • What is the time limit that applies to making a claim?
  • How much could I be owed?

Our advisors are available to help you with any queries 24/7. Additionally, if you were seeking compensation for a car accident, an advisor could connect you to one of the personal injury solicitors from our panel

To get in touch, you can:

  • Call the phone number at the top of this page
  • Use our live chat feature for an instant response
  • Contact us using our online form

a distressed woman on the phone after having a car accident

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Can I Make A Car Accident Claim?

All road users owe one another a duty of care. This is set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988 (RTA). The steps that road users are expected to take to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of others, can be found in the Highway Code. 

If another road user has breached this duty of care, and you’ve been injured as a result, then you may be able to claim. This guide will explain the evidence that you can use to support your claim for compensation.

You might want to work with a solicitor when making a claim. However, doing so can cause you to incur large upfront or ongoing fees if you fund their work in the usual way. For this reason, we explain No Win No Fee agreements and the benefits that they can offer claimants.

To find out if you are eligible to claim, speak to an advisor via our live chat function. They can offer you a free consultation of your claim with no obligation to use our services afterwards. 

How Are Compensation Payouts Calculated In A Car Accident Claim?

When calculating car accident claim payouts, if you have suffered an injury valued at £5,000 or less, the Whiplash Reform Programme has introduced changes to how you claim. You must now claim through an online portal.

Your claim will be valued based on a fixed tariff of compensation introduced by the government in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. You only need to claim through the online portal if you’re a driver or passenger of a vehicle who is over the age of 18. 

If your claim doesn’t need to be made through this portal, the compensation relating to the loss of amenity caused by your injuries may be worked out using the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This head of your claim is called general damages. 

We have taken compensation ranges from the 16th edition to give you an idea of what you might receive for a car accident settlement. Please remember the figures below are just guidelines. 

InjuryCompensation RangesNotes
Very Severe Injury Resulting from Brain Damage£282,010 to £403,990The level of the award within this bracket may be influenced by the extent of any behavioural problems or the extent of physical limitations.
Severe (i) Back Injuries£91,090 to £160,980Some cases may involve damage to the spinal cord and nerve roots, subsequently leading to serious consequences.
Chest Injuries (A)£100,670 to £150,110Total removal of one lung.
Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder£59,860 to £100,670All aspects of your life may be badly affected permanently and you might be unable to work.
Severe Knee Injuries (i) £69,730 to £96,210The joint in your knee will have been disrupted and lengthy treatment will be required.
Severe Shoulder Injuries£19,200 to £48,030Serious brachial plexus injuries may cause severe neck and arm symptoms.
Less Severe Other Arm Injuries£19,200 to £39,170A substantial degree of recovery is expected despite significant disabilities.
Moderate (i) Neck Injuries£24,990 to £38,490Serious soft tissue injuries to the neck are considered in this bracket.
Moderate (ii) Back Injuries£12,510 to £27,760This bracket takes into consideration the impact of the symptoms of your ability to function in everyday life.
Minor (i) Back Injuries£7,890 to £12,510A full recovery is expected without surgery and within two to five years.

What Else Can I Claim For After A Car Accident?

You could also receive compensation for any financial losses you have incurred as a result of your personal injury; we refer to this head of claim as special damages.

For example, you may have to take time off work following a car accident, resulting in a loss of earnings. Additionally, you may need to pay for a prescription to alleviate the symptoms of your injury, which you have to pay for.

We would advise that you keep hold of wage slips and receipts to prove the costs and losses you’ve incurred. This gives you the opportunity to receive it back as part of your claim. 

Our panel of solicitors have years of experience and can offer you free legal advice about how car accident claim payouts are calculated. 

How Do Car Accidents Happen?

A breach of duty of care on the road could cause an accident in which you’re injured. As a result, you might be entitled to claim. Below, we’ve provided examples of how a breach of duty of care on the road

  • A motorcycle rider may drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, meaning that their reaction times are delayed. As a result, they hit you while you’re crossing the road. 
  • A bus driver may be driving over the speed limit and lose control of the vehicle. The bus may then swerve into a cycle lane and knock you off your bike, resulting in a head injury that leads to brain damage.
  • Another driver fails to leave a safe stopping distance from you, and as a result, hits the back of your vehicle when you come to a stop. This causes you to sustain a neck injury

We would advise that you contact us as soon as possible as there is a timeframe for starting a car accident claim. Typically, the time limit is three years from when you sustained your injury or realised it was caused by another road user’s act of negligence.

Some exceptions can apply, however. Get in touch with our team for more information on receiving car accident claim payouts.

What Evidence Could Help My Car Accident Claim Payout?

There are no maximum car accident claim payouts; all compensation is valued based on your individual circumstances. For this reason, we recommend collecting evidence that you can use to support your case. When you seek medical attention following an injury, any notes from the doctor or hospital records could be used to demonstrate how you were impacted. 

Other key forms of evidence that we would advise you to collect include:

  • CCTV footage or dash cam footage, if possible
  • Photographs or video footage of your injuries and where the accident occurred, plus of any other vehicles that were involved
  • Witness contact details, so that a statement can be taken at a later date

You might be asked to go to an independent medical assessment to provide evidence for your claim. If you choose to work with a solicitor from our panel, they might be able to arrange this in your local area. Speak to an advisor to find out more.

Claim Compensation With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

You might want to fund the work of a lawyer through a No Win No Fee agreement when pursuing car accident claim payouts. A solicitor can offer advice and guidance about factors like when to accept or reject an offer of compensation. They can also ensure that all aspects of your claim are addressed; this is important as you cannot go back and claim again if you missed something the first time.

A No Win No Fee Agreement means your solicitor won’t ask for an upfront fee or any ongoing fees as the claim progresses. Instead, you pay your solicitor a success fee if your claim is successful. The success fee is legally capped at 25%. 

If your claim isn’t a success, you don’t pay your lawyer for their services. Get in touch now to see if you could be offered this kind of agreement.

Get Advice On Car Accident Claim Payouts

If you would like to check your eligibility to claim, you can contact us through the following methods:

  • Call the phone number at the top of this page
  • Use our live chat feature for an instant response
  • Contact us using our online form

More Information On Car Accident Claim Payouts

To help you understand more about car accident claim payouts, we wanted to share some additional resources with you:

Report a road traffic incident – How to report car accidents to the police.

Whiplash – NHS guidance on whiplash symptoms.

Think! – Find out about the government’s road safety campaigns.

For further reading, here are some more of our guides.

That concludes our guide on claiming car accident claim payouts. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have more questions.